Hair curling apparatus



y J D E D HAIR UKE c Fil URLING APPAR ed Oot- ATUS W MINVENTR- Y- JM ATTO RNEY Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,129,121 vj HAIR VCURLING APPARATUS Jacob DeA Duke, New York, N. lY.V l Application October 28, 1937, Serial No.v 171,436

` olaimaf (Cl. 132-33) The present invention relates to hair curling apparatus of the type which employs a chemical compound which in the presence of moisture will generate heat and which is customarily employed 5 with a moisture-containing'element by means of which vapor is transmitted to the curled hair for permanently setting it. In other words, the de vice is related to the so-called permanent hair curling or waving methods.

The object of the invention will be set forth in the accompanying specification, with reference to the drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View showing an embodiment of the invention immediately above a known device for receiving strands of hair, for winding them into a curl preparatory to receiving my improved device, the latter being shown above and separated from the hair curling means, the dotted lines indicating the partial outline of a head.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the element shown in Figure 1 in assembled relation.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of my improved device on the line3-3, Figure 13.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of vthe same, partially broken away.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, I have shown by the dotted lines a. the partial outline of a human head from which strands of hair have been brought together and wound upon a curling device. This curling device forms no part of the present invention but is well known in the art. It comprises a mandrel l and a clamping arm 2 formed with spaced ears 2m which are pivotally connected to the mandrel.

The strands of hair are first placed between two lowermost clamping arms 3, each clamping arm being covered with a yielding sheath 3x, rubber being suitable for this purpose. One arm will be formed with an upwardly bent extension 3mm and the other arm is so connected to the eX- tension asI to be capable of movement toward and from the second arm. The arm formed with the upward extension 3m has pivoted thereto at 4 a latch comprising the two arms 5, the uppermost of arms 5 having an upwardly bent extension 6. At 'l is pivoted a cam device 8 having an arm extension 9.

The movable arm 3, covered with the rubber sheath 3x is adapted to receive the cam 8 so that when the rubber sheath is moved rmly into contact with the hair latch 5 may be swung inwardly to receive said end of thearm, cam 8 will engage it, and swinging lever 9 into the position of Figure 1, will cause the rubber sheath to be firmly moved into contact with the strands of hair, the parts assuming the position of Figures 1 and 2. Preliminary thereto, the strands of hair will be wound upon the mandrel. This is done at a time when the latch pivoted at 4 has been swung to the left from its' position in Figure 1. When the strands of hair have been wound upon the mandrel, the squared end la: of the latter is moved downwardly into the rectangular recess in arm extension 6, the mandrel thus being held against further rotation. For convenience in rotating the mandrel, the latter at the end opposite the squared extension la: may carry a thumb piece Izar;

When the strands of hair have been wound upon the mandrel and the latter placed in the position shown in Figure 1, the firmly held curl of hair is ready to receive my improved device.

' The device comprises a bag i3 constructed of such material as to permit ready passage of moisture therethrough.

A'preferable material for construction of the bag is a light-weight textile sheet of cotton. The bag receives a chemical material shown indicated at Ill of such nature that when moisture is applied thereto heat will be generated of the degree and for a time sufficient to set the wave. Chemical mixtures of this nature are well known in the art. The bag is received in a springy metallic holder Il of special construction. The holder ll is preferably stamped out of sheet metal so that it will be arcuate in cross-section and formed with longitudinally extending flanges Ilzr, which flanges are spaced to provide a passageway for the strands of hair. At each end of the holder an inwardly bent lip l2 is' formed so as to provide a holding element for the bag I3. The bag being flexible, it may be inserted into the holder through the longitudinal passageway intermediate the anges l lx and its ends pressed under the holding lips |2a3, such operation being performed prior to packing the devices for shipment.

When my device is used, a sheet of readily absorbent material such as flannel or blotting paper, preferably a textile, indicated at I4, is saturated with water and is placed over the curled strands of hair in the position of the latter shown in Figures 1 and 2 or, said saturated sheet may be placed into the holder as indicated in Figure 1. The holder is then pressed down over the curl of hair until it assumes the position shown in Figure 2, its springy action firmly pressing the sheet I 4 upon the strands of hair and also causing the bag I3 to exert pressure through sheet I4 upon the curl. Thus moisture is caused to penetrate the bag and, at the same time, a proportion of moisture is received by the curl. Thereupon, chemical action is set up in the chemical mixture I and heat is generated which, in turn,

generates steam. In a chemical mixture especially prepared by me, I am able to generate a heat of approximately 240 F. and maintain a high heat for ve or six minutes, after which the heat gradually recedes until at the end of a totalV period of about fteen minutes, the Wave has been permanently set and substantially all of the moisture has been driven out of the sheet I4 by its conversion into vapor.

Various devices for the same purpose have been devised in the past, but these devices are awk- Ward and uncertain in use and require time and careful manipulation by the operator. My device snaps onto the curl and is immediately effective Without preliminary operations. This is important for a number of reasons: (a) it reduces discomfort to the subject of the hair Waving by greatly reducing the time of operation; (b) there is no bending and yforming of the moistureenclosing element about the wave as in other devices which in the past have caused separation of the element and the passage of chemical therethrough, particularly upon the head of the subject; (c) the spring snap characteristic of my device enables the anges I Im to be rmly pressed against the yielding surfaces of each rubber sheath 3x, sealing the device against the leakage of hot vapors, conserving the heat and preventing possible irritation of the scalp by contact with the hot vapors. In this connection, the pressure of the rubber sheaths 3x upon the strands passing upwardly between them is sufficient to bar the passage of hot vapors to the scalp at that area. By bending the area of the metal adjacent the longitudinal aperture of the holder to form the flanges Bmx, the rigidity of the holder is increased and this enables the use of lighter metal than would otherwise be the case. The rigidity and springy action of the device is further enhanced by the inwardlyV bent lip sections I2.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:-

1. In a device for chemically generating heat for hair waving, a snap holding element of springy metal, arcuate in cross section, and split longitudinally, and a bag containing a chemical mixture adapted to generate heat in the presence of moisture, said bag conforming to the inner wall curvature of the holder and being held therein.

2. In a device for chemically generating heat for hairl waving, a snap holding element of springy metal, arcuate in cross section, and split longitudinally, the metal at each side of the split being bent to form longitudinally extending flanges, and a bag containing a chemical mixture adapted to generate heat in the presence of moisture, said bag conforming to the inner Wall curvature of the holder and being held therein.

3. In a device for chemically generating heat for hair waving, a snap holding element of springy metal, arcuate in cross section, and split longitudinally, a bag containing a chemical mixture adapted to generate heat in the presence of moisture, said bag conforming to the inner wall curvature of the holder, and means carried by the holding element for securing the latter upon the inner wall of the holder.

4. In a device for chemically generating heat for hair waving, a snap holding element of springy metal, arcuate in cross section, and split longitudinally, the metal at each side or" the split ,I

being bent to form longitudinally extending flanges, Ya bag containing a chemical mixture adapted to generate heat in the presence of moisture, said bag conforming to the inner wall curvature of the holder and being held therein, and lip extensions carried by the holder at its ends, said extensions being bent inwardly upon the bag to hold 'the latter adjacent the inner wall of the holder.

5. In a device for chemically generating heat for hair waving, a holding element made of sheet metal, arcuate in cross section, and split longitudinally, the resilient resistance of the holding element being augmented at each side of said longitudinally split area by being bent reversely to the direction of its cross sectional arc.

JACOB DE DUKE. 

